Relationship between Working Memory, Auditory Perception and Speech Intelligibility in Cochlear Implanted Children of Elementary School

Objectives: This study examined the relationship between working and short-term memory performance, and their effects on cochlear implant outcomes (speech perception and speech production) in cochlear implanted children aged 7-13 years. The study also compared the memory performance of cochlear implanted children with their normal hearing peers. Methods: Thirty-one cochlear implanted children with a mean age of 121.52 months (~10 years) and SD=19.946 and 31 normal hearing children with a mean age 120.68 months (~10 years) and SD=18.137 participated in this study. Their memory performance was assessed by Working Memory Test Battery for Children (1), speech perception was measured by Categories of Auditory Performance (2), and their speech production was assessed by Speech Intelligibility Rating (3). Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS through its descriptive variables MANOVA and Spearman Correlation Coefficient. Results: A significant and positive correlation was observed between working memory performance and cochlear implant outcomes. In addition, the children using cochlear implants had poorer performance compared to their normal hearing peers. Discussion: This study demonstrated that the memory performance of children using cochlear implants has a significant effect on their speech production